Is there anyway I can help my sleep deprivation issues? (back pain, blood)

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by Sand&Salt

A cool, very dark room helps too. Reading my Kindle in bed for a bit before sleeping puts me in "sleep mode" too.

Agree about the very cool dark room. I'm a burrower/cocoon maker in bed, not a sprawler. A cold room encourages burrowing. If its too warm, can't do that. OTOH, contrary to what most people say about "screens" keeping them awake, I've found that sometimes if I wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep, dragging myself out of bed, moving to the couch and turning on the TV will knock me right out again. I don't just lie in bed staring at the ceiling running that mental hamster wheel about not sleeping. Maybe its the drone of low volume conversation or the fact that nothing very interesting tends to be airing during the wee small hours...except infomercials. But, those are pretty deadly any time of day or night.

[TXRunner]

I think we are missing some basic information such as any other major health conditions, weight issues, caffeine/alcohol consumption, diet, age, and what you do for exercise on a regular basis.

After that I would start thinking about the environment and activities leading up to bedtime.

[jimhamilton]

I drink alcohol, not much, on my days off, so like 1 or two days a week. But this happens on every day I do not drink it as well.

I cannot exercise everyday though, because I do not have time because of my job. Is this likely part of the problem.

[silibran]

Originally Posted by jimhamilton

For some reason for the last few years, my body will only sleep for about 4-5 hours a night. I was told by a friend of mine that maybe this is normal and that's all I need. But it hasn't always been this way though. And I feel tired a lot of the days now, compared to before when I could get a full 8 or more hours of sleep.

I've been to the doctor but the doctor says he is not sure what to do, but does not want to perscribe anything, because those sleeping medications are bad for me he says.

I've been told to try melatonin, which I have for a while now, but that doesn't change anything. I still wake up after 4-5 hours, but with the melatonin, it's worse, because I actually feel more tired. So the sleep time is the same even with melatonin, just more tired.

Does anyone have any idea what I can do? My gf suggested weed, and that helped knock me out for 10 hours on my day off. But I do not want to have to do that every night and I don't even like weed much though. It was my first time trying it, and it's just not for me I don't think.

But is there anything else that can help that well, or no?

Sleep depravity? I got a good laugh over that.

If you are watching a screen for hours before bedtime, that might interfere with your falling asleep. If you are napping during the day, that might cause you to wake before morning.

Caffeine interferes with sleep.

Eating right before bed could interfere with falling asleep.

Exercising every day could help you sleep through most nights.

Sometimes a pain pill might help.

[guidoLaMoto]

Arya was on the right track a few posts back

Two general explanations for your problem-- First is that our sleep patterns depend roughly on age. Infants sleep all day. Toddlers need their naps. Teenagers want to stay up til 3AM, then wake up at noon. And Seinfeld makes jokes about old folks and the Early Bird special.

As we get into and past middle age, we tend to wake up after each 1.5- 2hr sleep cycles (REM sleep and all that)...Also as pointed out above, before electric lights & shift work at factories, it was natural to sleep for four hours, then awake for two, then back for a second sleep.

The other reason for disrupted/difficult sleep has to do with "bio-rhythms." The Sun is always on a 24 hr cycle (It's always Noon at 12 o'clock) but our bodies may be on a, say, 26 hr cycle. That means we may start out roughly in synch with the Sun, but each day we move 2 more hours out of synch, so after 6 days, we want to be asleep at noon and awake at midnight. Then we keep on cycling until we're back in synch with the Sun only to start it over again....When you're out of synch, you may fall asleep out of exhaustion, but after a 4 hr nap, your hormones are set to keep you awake.

There is no sleeping pill that gives you good sleep, particularly when used chronically. In fact, most work simply by giving you amnesia-- you don't remember your restless, lousy sleep. While tests show melatonin can work, I'm not sure it's the way to go. It may actually make the physiological basis of your problem worse. Mg supplements do slow down nerve conduction, making you somewhat lethargic, but I doubt they'll help a hard-core sleep problem for most people.

Things like making sure the room is completely dark, no TVs, no caffeine after noontime, avoid alcohol at night etc can help, but probably are not the root of your problem.

[KathrynAragon]

All I can recommend is going to bed earlier. Then get up when you wake up - don't lay there and fret about it.

In my experience the more I worry about quality sleep, the less quality sleep I get. When I quit worrying about it, I sleep better.

If you're watching TV or looking at your phone before you turn out the lights, wear your computer screen glasses. And try reading a bit before bed also.

And be sure you're not drinking alcohol or caffeine within a few hours of sleep.

[jimhamilton]

Oh okay. I am 37 but is it normal for a 37 year old to sleep for 4-5 hours a night, especially if he still feels tired a lot, like he is not getting enough sleep? Plus I feel look tired a lot too, unless that's normal at my age? I drink alcohol like a beer on my days off, or two. But I don't drink any caffeine and try to avoid that. As for going to bed earlier, it's just difficult because of my schedule and work.

[Ruth4Truth]

OP, go to an endocrinologist, and get a hormone panel done, for starters. In women, that middle-of-night wakeup starts after 40. 37 is a bit early, but some people experience symptoms of hormone decline early. That's all I can think of. Anyway, hormones play a major role in sleep. Most primary care doctors aren't well-informed about this.

In the meantime, you could try a supplement called "Theanine Serene", by Source Naturals. It has calming neurotransmitters in it, and magnesium, also a calmative. You can take it safely at your middle-of-the-night wakeup, and it won't make you groggy in the morning. It's not a prescription, Try it, and see if it helps. Don't use it the night before you do your bloodwork, though. You want an accurate reading of what's going on, not a reading of the supplement you're taking, lol.

[jimhamilton]

Oh okay thanks, I will shop around for that. Thanks. If I take it after I wake up, will it take like an hour or more to take effect though to put me back to sleep and therefore, I need to be mindful that of that extra hour or more, time and schedule wise?

[TXRunner]

No, I don't think a few beers on the weekend will do it. What about your weight? Waking up and not being able to go to sleep once a while is normal, not every night.